Marry Me
by 27elliee
Summary: What I think should have happened in 7x5


**What I think should have happened in 7x5 **

_I'm downstairs, can we talk here for a minute? _

_Sure. _

"Hey, handsome." I say walking into the brew to see Ezra in a suit. "Are we celebrating something I've forgotten about?"

"No." He says his Adam's apple bobbing. "I have a surprise for you though." He finishes with a smile.

"Can we sit here first?" I ask patting the sofa opposite the counter, even with the minimal light I can see his face paling.

"What's going on?" He asks sitting at my side taking my hands in his.

"I'm keeping a couple of secrets from you. Both different, both huge. We've been broken by secrets before, and this time with us feels different. I've never loved you as much as I do right now, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I was lost without you all of those years, I can't have us break apart because I kept something from you." I rush, squeezing his hand.

"It does feel different, better." He says kissing my cheek.

"The first one I need to tell you about I was going to keep it a secret to protect you."

"Me?" His face scrunches up.

"I remember how broken you were when I walked back through that door, but earlier I realised I was also keeping it from you to protect myself." I begin.

"Aria, what happened?"

"Your phone rang while you were in the bathroom earlier, it was Nicole." I look up to see his face blank of emotion.

"N n n Nicole?" He stutters his brow furrowed.

"It was her phone. But there when I said hello there wasn't a reply, there was just static then the call ended. Emily was with me, she said that when her dad passed away someone had found his phone and called her mom months later. I didn't want you to be hurt, I didn't want you to go through all that grief again but..." I trail.

"But..." He pushes.

"But, that's not my decision to make. You and I need to be honest with each other if we have any chance of lasting together, my job as your partner isn't to keep things from you; it's to tell you the truth and be there for you and bring you up when you're down." I finish stroking his cheek looking into his beautiful eyes.

"Thank you." He replies, a small smile gracing his face.

"Chances are it's just someone who found her phone." I reason.

"How would this hurt you?" He blinks remembering the rest of my reasons.

"I feel.." I begin before taking a breath, trying to physically push the words I'm not sure I have the courage to say out of my mouth, I rub my hands together in a vain attempt at calming myself . I can't look at Ezra instead I focus on my shoes. "I feel threatened by her. I know she's the love of your life, and that minuscule chance that she could have survived means you don't need your consolation prize." I still can't meet his eyes. I feel him stand up from the sofa, leaving his place at my side. He's going to leave me. A single tear falls from my eye onto my nose, down the tip then falls with a tiny splash onto my thumbnail.

"Aria, you are not a consolation prize." I move my head up to see Ezra stood in front of me, he kneels down so we're at eye level.

"If there is a chance she's alive then I'm happy about that, but you are my future. When we were dancing at your prom I had a moment where I thought about cancelling my flight to Thailand and begging you to take me back. I always scoffed at the phrase 'the one that got away', until you were the one that got away. In the months leading up to the last moment I saw Nicole, we had been arguing a lot. We were on the edge of breaking up, that's part of the reason I wanted to take her to the coast to see if we could salvage our relationship, or at least end it on a positive note. I was still in love with you and couldn't marry someone that wasn't you. Even though you and I were over, the only person I imagined marrying and having children with was you. If it wasn't you, it wasn't happening. There will always be part of me that is in love with Nicole because she was a major part of my life, but she doesn't have my heart. That has been yours since the moment we met in that bar. And yes I saw you sadly staring at the poster of Ali and recognised you as one of Ali's friends, so I spoke to you thinking I could get information about her for that stupid book; then all thoughts of that book went out of my mind the moment you whispered 'God I love this song'. My heart has been yours since that moment, she looked after it for a while but it's yours. You are first prize. The only prize. You're the one, Aria." He says with pure conviction leaning forward to catch my lips in a chaste kiss.

"I love you so much, Ezra." I whisper against his lips the weight of the world leaving my shoulders.

"How about we take this upstairs?" He suggests standing up.

"I have one more confession. When I told you about the Jenna thing, you held me close and told me that you loved me and nothing I had said changed that. When I told you I killed Shauna, you struggled to stand up but managed it so you could comfort me. Logically I know you're insane therefore are going to give me a hug and still love me when I tell you what I have too, but I just needed to let you know it's okay if this is too much for you. Everyone has limits, if this is yours, I understand." He flops down beside me rubbing his hand across his face.

"Lay it on me." He says. I do a wonderful impression of a fish as I open and close my mouth trying to force the words out.

"Aria you are the love of my life, tell me whatever this is and we'll get through it together." I kiss his cheek holding my lips there with my eyes tight shut as I begin the story.

"So, I have another persons blood on my hands. " I whisper pushing the tears away from my eyes.

"I love you, and nothing you just said to me changes that." He says stroking my hair quoting himself. I smile shaking my head.

"Yeah, you're insane." I laugh kissing him.

"Give me five minutes, then come upstairs. I still have a surprise for you." He says breaking our kiss.

"This is a surprise..." I whisper entering the apartment, there's candles on every surface.

"I have something I need to say.

You told me once a long time ago that you couldn't imagine your life without me, and I told you that I wanted you in mine," he says wistfully.

"Then we spent years apart – a world apart," he continued. "Five years later, when you walked in the door after all that time, it felt like the last flat stretch of a roller coaster ride comes to a stop – where your stomach's flipping out and your knees are weak, but you can breathe again. That's when I knew I want you in my life, Aria, for the rest of my life. I don't ever wanna let you go." He bends down on one knee pulling a box out of his pocket, opening the lid he whispers the words I've been dreaming about hearing him say since I was sixteen

"Aria Marie Montgomery, will you marry me?"

"Yes." I whisper through tears I didn't know were falling. Within seconds his arms are around me spinning me around.

"Wait." He stops setting me on my feet, he slides the vintage style ring onto the right finger. "There." He whispers kissing my hand before pulling me back into his welcoming arms.

"I love you, future husband." I giggle kissing his lips.

Best moment of my life. So far.


End file.
